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2026 NCAPI SPRING CONFERENCE-SPEAKERS AND TOPICS

Event:  North Carolina Association of Private Investigators’ Spring Conference 2026
Dates:  April 21 - 22, 2026
Location:  Courtyard by Marriott, 100 Charlotte Avenue, Carolina Beach, NC 28428
PPSB-22-001S

 

Topic:  PPS Overview & Current Issues Facing Our Industry (1 hour)
Speaker: Paul Sherwin, Director, North Carolina Private Protective Services

 

Speaker Biography: 

Paul Sherwin was appointed by Department of Public Safety Secretary Eric Hooks as the director of PPS in June 2020. Prior to his appointment, he served as the agency’s Deputy Director.Sherwin previously worked in corporate security with DHL Global Forwarding, and in law enforcement with the Norfolk Southern Railway Police Department in Raleigh; the Durham County Sheriff’s Office; and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro, Oregon. Sherwin is a veteran who served in the Oregon Army National Guard and the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2011, where he achieved the rank of captain and worked primarily in the infantry and field artillery branches. He completed one deployment to Mosul, Iraq, in 2008. Sherwin received a BS degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a Master’s Degree in administration from Queens University of Charlotte.

 

 

Topic:  How to Run a PI Business (1.5 hours) 

Speaker: Garland Slate

Speaker Biography: 

Mr. Garland E Slate is a former white collar crime FBI Special Agent. He received four performance awards for excellence in white collar crime investigations from the FBI.  He has over 38 years professional investigative experience, specializing in financial crimes / white collar matters, military investigations (prosecution and defense) and police defense investigations. He has operated Integrity Investigations Inc., a private investigations business in NC, SC, & VA for the past 27 years. Mr. Slate has received commendations from the Chief District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma and the US Army Trial Defense Services, and the US Army Trial Assistance Services (prosecutors). He has been married to Jane for 44 years, has four children and nine grandchildren.  

 

 

 

Topic:  Close Protection Advances: Quiet Planning. Confident Protection.  (1 hour)

Speaker: Jaymes Holden

 

Speaker Biography: 

Mr. Jaymes Holden is the President of 360 Protection Group, Inc. and has more than 40 years of investigative and executive protection experience. He gained his 30 plus years of Investigative experience in North Carolina law enforcement where he served as a criminal investigator, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain of investigations. Mr. Holden has over 10 years of experience working on the Department of State Worldwide Protection (WPS) contracts in Kabul Afghanistan, Jerusalem Israel, and protecting multiple high-net-worth clients in Los Angeles, New York, North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina Charlotte, and a Master’s degree in Security Management from American Military University. 

Mr. Holden is a licensed private investigator in North Carolina, and Virginia, licensed close personal protection in North Carolina and Virginia, and licensed security guard and patrol company in North Carolina. He is also a NC approved unarmed, and armed trainer, and an approved vendor to teach the NC close personal protection (CPP) course. He is also a Nationally Registered, and North Carolina Advanced EMT. 

Mr. Holden is a member of ASIS Charlotte North Carolina Chapter #85, Graduate and member of the FBI National Academy Session #208, Member of the NCAPI and recently elected Vice President. 

 

 

Topic:  Understanding our Laws: Firearms and Concealed Carry (2 hours) 

Speaker: Chad Thompson

 

Speaker Biography:  

Chad Thompson is a 35-year law enforcement veteran serving at local, State, Federal and even in international capacities. Chad began his career in the US Coast Guard headquartered out of District 7 in Miami Florida. Chad returned to his native State of NC in 1993 and has served in several capacities up to and including Narcotics Lieutenant and then Training Lieutenant at the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. Chad has taught concealed carry-handgun in NC since the program was conceived and became law in our State. Additionally, Chad served as Firearms School Director and Senior Firearms Instructor at the NC Justice Academy for 15 years until his retirement in 2022. Lastly, Chad is a Grandmaster pistol competitor on the USPSA circuit shooting for Deep River Customs.

  

 

Topic:  Finding Your Ideal Client: Tools and Positioning Strategies
for Private Investigators  (1 hour)
Speaker: Austin Slate
Speaker Biography:

Austin Slate is a licensed private investigator with nine years of experience specializing in criminal defense investigations. Trained by former FBI Special Agent Garland Slate, Austin owns his own PI firm and has built a social media following of over 100,000 followers through educational content. As a serial entrepreneur who has owned multiple small businesses, Austin brings practical insights on effective marketing strategies for investigative practices in today's digital landscape.

 

 Topic: Digital Stakeouts: Securing Your Tech While Tracking the Truth (1 hour)  

Speaker: Kiley Couch

 

Speaker Biography: 

Kiley Couch brings over 25 years of experience in technology delivery, security architecture, and operational risk management. For the past 15 years, he has served in senior leadership roles guiding innovation, transformation, and secure platform design across various industries.

He currently leads a team of 35 engineers at a rapidly growing security software company with offices in Durham, NC; Bellevue, WA; and Emeryville, CA, where his work focuses on building resilient, secure systems that protect sensitive data and support regulatory and compliance needs. In his spare time, Kiley enjoys exploring emerging technologies, home automation, and unplugging with jigsaw puzzles.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               

 Topics: How Professional Investigators Assist in Exonerations (2 hours) &

The Application of the Scientific Method to Investigation Work (1 Hour)

Speaker: Stuart Bayne

 

Speaker Biography: 

Stuart Bayne has 52 years of experience in the fire service industry including 46 years applying the Scientific Method in fire and explosion origin and cause determinations. He is a licensed private investigator in both Tennessee and North Carolina. He was instrumental in exonerating a 30-year wrongful conviction in Tennessee and has taken the lead in a second 20-plus year exoneration effort.

 

 

                                                                                                     

 

Topic: Keys to Invoicing Like a Pro (1.5 hours)  
Speaker: Anthony Troeger

 

Speaker Biography: 

Anthony Troeger is the President/CEO of AARDWOLF INTERNATIONAL, based in Cary, NC, providing risk management and employee engagement solutions to organizations, families, and individuals worldwide since 2014.

Mr. Troeger worked as a federal special agent for over 25 years with the Offices of Inspectors General of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), immersed in financial fraud investigations, conducting dignitary protection, and managing/instructing federal law enforcement training. He was stationed in St. Paul, MN; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; Glynco, GA; and Greensboro, NC.

As a special agent, Mr. Troeger conducted investigations involving employee misconduct/ embezzlement, threats, and fraud related to food stamp trafficking, farm loans, crop insurance, mortgages, non-profit corporations, public housing authorities, and various other domestic assistance programs. On dignitary protection, he traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. As a life-long trainer, he has been a certified instructor of Defensive/Non-Lethal Control Tactics, Blood Borne Pathogens, and a certified Technical and Law Enforcement Trainer, instructing defensive tactics and other skills in the field and being a program manager and instructor for the Inspector General Criminal Investigator Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He was also a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician and held a top-secret security clearance.

As the founder of AARDWOLF INTERNATIONAL, and with the relentless support and assistance of the company’s EVP of Compliance and Administration, Monica (who is also his wife), they have grown the company to include a guard and patrol division (dba Urgent Response Guard Services), a wellness division (dba Momentum Healthy Living) and logistics division (dba Remote Employee Logistics). This is all in addition to the protective security and private investigations services the company has provided since 2014. The company employs over 30 security officers, close protection agents, private investigators, and administrative staff, in addition to hundreds of contractors worldwide.

Mr. Troeger is a member of the North Carolina Association of Private Investigators (NCAPI), the North Carolina Association of Professional Process Servers (NCAPPS), the National Association of Professional Process Servers (NAPPS), the World Association of Detectives (WAD), Intellenet, ASIS International, and the Cary Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Troeger is happily married with four adult children, two dogs, and a cat in a wonderfully blended family, and has fostered two other youths. On the rare occasion he is not working, you will find him playing percussion with a praise and worship team or enjoying the great outdoors via boating, hiking, and biking.

He is a 1988 graduate of Western Illinois University with a B.S. in Law Enforcement Administration, minoring in Public Administration.